2008 MacBook Pro with dodgy disc drive

Hello all,

As per the subject line, I have a 2008 MBP with a broken disc drive. I can put a disc in but it spins and then ejects after about 10 seconds. The only way I can get the computer to read the media is to flip my computer up so the disc drive is facing the roof, which I'm sure is not particular healthy for either the drive or the disc! I'm not covered by Applecare so I would not be able to get this replaced by Apple for free so I am now thinking of selling the computer as-is, for a discounted price to cover any repairs the buyer may want to do if they wish to use the drive, and also to help subsidise the cost of a new MacBook.

However, I do want to wipe the computer before I sell it and provide with the computer a copy of Snow Leopard which I purchased, but if the disc drive isn't working, how the heck do I reload the OS when I format the HDD?

Thanks in advance.

Several ways to do it:

1. Target Disk Mode (requires another Mac with FW)

2. Buy an inexpensive external DVD drive. (You can include it along with the machine.)

You may also be able to install a clean OS X by using a flash drive, however, that too requires a working DVD drive. Perhaps a friend with a Mac can help.

Thank you! I do have an iMac so I will give Target disc mode a try and see how it goes.